1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to containers or dispensers for filament, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for dispensing tippet fishing line for fly fishing.
2. Description of the Related Art
The most common method of containing and dispensing filament (such as string, thread, rope, cord, etc.) is to wind the filament around a spool until it is needed, and then unwind and cut off a desired length of the filament from the spool. It is advantageous in certain applications of the filament to provide a container or dispenser to protect the filament from damage or entanglement. In particular, the demands of fly fishing make containers or dispensers for fishing line especially helpful.
The fishing line used in fly fishing is generally comprised of four main parts: the backing, the main line, the leader, and the tippet. The individual parts of the fishing line are attached end-to-end using knots or fasteners. The first end of the backing is attached to a reel positioned near the base of the fishing rod, and the second end of the backing is attached to the main line. During normal use, the full length of the backing and most of the main line are wound around the reel. Only rarely does the fishing line extend away from the fishing rod far enough to unwind the backing from the reel, such as when an exceptionally strong fish takes the hook and swims a long distance away from the fisher, causing the entire main line to unwind from the reel.
The main line is generally much longer than the leader and the tippet. The end of the main line opposite from the backing is removably connected to the leader. The other end of the leader, in turn, is removably connected to the tippet, and a fly is removably attached to the free end of the tippet.
During fly fishing, a fisher grasps the end of the rod near the reel and whips it rapidly back and forth to cast the line and cause the fly to touch or glide across the surface of the water in a manner which mimics the natural path of travel of an insect, which, in turn, attracts fish. The components of the fishing line each come in various weights and diameters. The physical relationship among these components is critical in helping the fisher to deal with a wide variety of environmental conditions, such as the speed and direction of the wind and water, the clarity of the water, the size and speed of the fish, and the size of the body of water in which the fisher is casting his or her line. The configuration of the fishing line helps the fisher achieve the proper insect-like presentation with various flies of different sizes, shapes, and weights.
The tippet moves and stretches more than the rest of the line, and it also comes in contact with other objects (such as rocks, plants, and water) more often than the rest of the line. The tippet therefore wears out much more quickly. Thus, even if a fisher does not customarily change his or her tippet to match specific fishing conditions, it may still be necessary to periodically remove the tippet from the rest of the line to replace it.
Ideally, the four components of the fishing line should be selected such that the diameter of the leader is smaller than the diameter of the main line, and the diameter of the tippet is smaller than the diameter of the leader. When the line is fully extended during the waving motion of the rod, the tippet needs to stretch out to its full length and support the fly with appropriate resilience. The fisher must therefore give careful consideration to the size, weight, and aerodynamic properties of the fly in choosing the proper tippet weight and diameter. If the tippet line is too small, it will not properly support the fly, and its direction and motion will be difficult to control. If the tippet line is too large, it will not fully extend or properly uncurl during the motion of the rod. A fisher often needs to experiment with many different sizes of tippets while fishing until he or she finds success with a particular combination.
On occasion, a fisher may also want to tie more than one fly to the end of a fishing line to create the impression that many insects are landing on the surface of the water and thereby further provoke the fish. A small length of tippet line is sometimes used to connect these flies to each other and to the end of the fishing line.
Thus, it is desirable for fishers to carry many different tippets of varying weights and diameters to properly account for environmental conditions, the type of fly used, and for other special purposes. However, a fisher must usually also bring many other fishing implements and hence his or her carrying capacity is very limited. Moreover, fishers sometimes need to hike long distances to reach a good fishing spot, and it is therefore highly desirable to limit the amount of equipment carried. Accordingly, there is a need for methods and device for carrying a variety of tippet lines in a small amount of space.
There is also a need for methods and devices for conveniently obtaining the desired length of tippet line. Fishers usually purchase long lengths of tippet line in spools, but only a short length of the tippet is necessary for a particular use. The desired length of tippet must be drawn off of the spool and cut from the rest of the line. Some fishers use scissors, clippers, or a knife to cut the tippet line, but this requires the fisher to locate the cutting implement and hold the rod, the tippet spool, and the cutting implement while cutting the tippet line. The selection and attachment of the tippet must usually be accomplished in a very short amount of time so that the fisher can attract a fish that is swimming nearby or a fish that is hiding among the rocks and only comes out during brief intervals. This process of tippet cutting is particularly awkward when a fisher is standing in a precarious spot near, or even in, the water. Under these circumstances, the risk of dropping a fishing implement into the water is significant.
The prior art attempts to carry and access a fisher""s assortment of tippets have many shortcomings. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,772 to Schaefers, discloses a xe2x80x9ctippet tube.xe2x80x9d Various color-coded lengths of tippet pass through, and are kept together by, a length of tube. The tippet bundle extends out of the tube on each end, and a plastic plug is inserted into one end of the tube to press the tippet bundle against the wall of the tube and maintain it in place. But the Schaefer tippet tube is long and unwieldy, and requires carrying a separate tool to cut the tippet to the desired length.
Another fishing line dispenser is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,315 to Schreck. This device has a series of concentric, nested circles. A length of fishing line is wound in the space between each adjacent pair of circles, and a single cutter in the central hub is used to clip a given line to a desired length. The circles do not rotate so the fisher must wind the line off in a circular motion, rather than pulling it out in a straight line. The unwinding action required to withdraw the tippet makes it time-consuming and cumbersome to obtain the desired length of tippet line, especially under the demanding conditions of fly fishing. Another disadvantage to the Schreck dispenser is that the spaces between the outer circles hold significantly more tippet line than the spaces between the inner circles. Thus, a fisher must predict in advance which type of tippet he or she will be using most often and wrap it around the outer circles.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,947 to Tomlinson, a series of co-axially aligned spools are attached to a bracket that pins onto the fisher""s clothing. Tippet line is wound around each of the spools. The end of each strand of tippet is held in place by a common clamp that is positioned in front of the spools. The Tomlinson dispenser exposes the tippet to branches, leaves, and anything else that may contact the clothing of the fisher, causing the tippet to unwind and tangle.
Thus, there is a need for a device and method for storing and dispensing tippet in a compact and convenient manner, while protecting the tippet from unwinding and tangling. In addition, fishers need to be able to easily access the desired tippet and quickly and easily cut it to a given length.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a storage container with a lid encloses a plurality of spools for receiving filaments such as fishing tippet lines. The spools are positioned adjacent to each other on separate shafts and rotate independently. Each spool may be removed from its shaft in the container, and a length of tippet line may be conveniently wound around each spool outside of the container. The spools are then returned to their respective shafts in the container.
The free end of each spooled tippet line is threaded through an independent access hole in the side of the container and extends along the outside of the storage container to a structure that conveniently holds and cuts the tippet line. A desired length of tippet line may be withdrawn through the access hole and clipped from the rest of the tippet spool by the cutter.
Because the spools are positioned adjacent to each other, the storage container may be rather thin and compact. It may be small enough to fit within an average-sized pocket in a fisher""s clothing. When the lid of the storage container is closed, the spools are protected from tangling and unwinding, but are easily accessed for refilling.